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Powerpoint background

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Free background templates for PowerPoint

You can create memorable and attractive presentations by using many of the templates that come with PowerPoint. Use the picture, shape, and graphic effects in these templates to add colorful, elegant, or playful backgrounds to your presentation.

Use a PowerPoint template with backgrounds to start a new presentation

To find a template with background images to begin a new presentation, do the following:

Click File > New .

In the search box, do one of the following:

To browse a wide range of templates with backgrounds, search for "Backgrounds."

For the background images shown above and more, search for the template called "Backgrounds for PowerPoint slides."

For backgrounds specific to a theme, search on a keyword, such as "mountains."

Click a template thumbnail, preview the slides by clicking the forward and back arrows, and then click Create when you find the template you want.

Note:  You may want to use only a few of the slides from the template in your presentation. To remove the other slides from your presentation, press and hold CTRL, click the slides that you don't want, and then press Delete .

For more information on how to apply a template to a new presentation, see the article Apply a template to a new presentation .

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20+ Best Free PowerPoint Backgrounds to Download Now

20+ Best Free PowerPoint Back...

Small details matter. That’s why professional backgrounds for PowerPoint will help convey your attention to detail and make your presentation feel so much more personal. In this article, we compile the best PPT backgrounds for instant download.

John McTale

Editor-in-chief

Dec 09, 2022

You’re here because you want to add some flair to your PowerPoint presentation and the default PowerPoint backgrounds available in the standard themes don’t do it for you. Fair enough, they’re bland, boring, and featureless. Then again, many of the PowerPoint backgrounds available for free download are cheesy or just outdated. You could spend hours looking for one that fits your needs and still end up half-satisfied. The good news? I did the digging for you. Out of thousands, I picked 20+ of the most professional and elegant free PowerPoint backgrounds for instant download. Scroll down to see them, pick one you like best, and start creating!

Storydoc’s alternative to PPT

But first, give this a thought— You’re looking for PowerPoint backgrounds because you want to make your presentation more exciting. Why not take it a step further? See, even with the most imaginative background out there, you’ll still be dealing with the devilish PowerPoint interface, only to put together a static slideshow that doesn’t captivate anyone’s attention. With Storydoc, you can use our easy editor and create an interactive, animated presentation in minutes. Just see what it might look like:

Here's how a Storydoc presentation looks compared to a PowerPoint:

Slide decks are a relic of the past. With Storydoc, you’ll get interactive content you never thought you’d have. Wow your audience, make a lasting impression, and land more deals with investors. Ready in a flash.

Also, consider more than just a background upgrade for your presentation. See some of our articles offering the finest presentation templates you’ll ever see online:

• Professional PowerPoint Templates
• Free Google Slides Templates
• Infographic Templates
• Business Pitch Templates
• Creative Presentation Templates and Ideas

And now, onto the *beef*.

How to set a background in PowerPoint?

First, a quick tutorial on how to change the default PowerPoint background. (If you already know how to do it, feel free to scroll down to the following section.)

• Pick a slide you want to change the background in.
• Go to “Design” → “Format Background.”
• Select “Picture or texture fill.”
• Choose the file you want to use as your background.
• Click “Insert” in the Picture dialog box.

Then, in the “Fill” drop-down, you can adjust transparency and texture. You can also skip adding your own file and just go for a solid fill using the color of your liking, then tweak it playing around with different functions in the “Format Background” menu. You can try using different color combinations and color palettes that match the tone of your presentation or match your brand. Now, let’s get you some fine graphics that will bring your PPT presentation to life (even if just being there in the background:)).

The best PPT background images to download

Wave green (free)

Kicking off with “Wave green,” a free PowerPoint background that’s neither too fancy nor too basic. A good pick for presentations across different industries and use cases.

Retro black (free)

A minimalist, abstract PPT background brought to you by FreePPTBackgrounds. So, yes, you guessed it, it’s free to download!

Cute floral (free)

Designed by Malti Drago, this cute PowerPoint background will add a touch of spring liveliness to your presentation. Use it when you want your slide deck to give off this homely kind of vibe.

Low poly (free)

Designed by SlideModel and, again, 100% free to use, “Low poly” is a professional background based on an imitation of a 3D surface with some subtle color shading going on. A very neutral, eye-pleasing design.

Black waves (free)

Not all presentations can pull off a dark background but if you’re in a modern area of business such as tech, engineering, or digital marketing and want to put your game face on, the free “Black waves” PowerPoint background will help you do just that.

Blue art (free)

Note: the developers of this background, “Free-PowerPoint-Templates” don’t allow you to download high-res mockup pictures from their website so this one might look a tad blurry. Nothing to worry about, though, if you choose to download it, it will be perfectly sharp, just as its design is.

All the templates above?

Yeah, they’re pretty. But Storydoc gives you much more than nice-looking presentations. 

We deliver real results. 

Transform your static presentation with Storydoc and close more deals, improve engagement metrics, and increase your customer base. Like these teams did:

"...We've seen  higher conversion, of up to x2 , among prospects who engaged with the Storydoc pages"

Boris Zlatkin

Digital Marketing Lead

"Using Storydoc helped us build a rich and engaging deck, effectively delivering the full scope and value of our streaming service TVNow Premium"

Dirk Hannapel

BD & Sales Director

"...Since we've started using Storydoc our sales accelerated,  increasing our customer base by more than 70% . It became an integral part of our sales funnel, helping us score new deals."

Red-blue-green (free)

A bit retro, a bit corny, and a bit 8-bit, but it still works! The RBG theme of this PowerPoint background will make it a great choice for all industries that have to do with image processing: TV, media, advertising, photography, graphic design, and so on.

Lens flare (free)

Okay, this one *is* from Microsoft and I still decided to include it in the gallery despite all of what I said about how “boring” their backgrounds were. This one is classy, subtle, and easy on the eyes and free to download from the Microsoft website itself.

Horizontal stripes (free)

Using this one as a background for all of your PowerPoint slides might backfire as the differently-sized horizontal stripes can feel confusing and make the text harder to read. It will work great as a background for summary or “main point” slides, though.

Lavender? (Free)

Okay, I’m not so great with plants but I do think this one is Lavender. (Is it? Feel free to drop me a line if it’s not). Either way, a tasteful close-up of some nice flowers. Oh, and there’s a butterfly in there. Add a level of transparency to it, and you’ll have a very cute and professional look for a PPT background.  

Stylish cartoon

Designed by Yasemin Yaldiz of Turkey (and part of a collection of 4 different illustrations), this background for PowerPoint feels mysterious and inviting at the same time. A very unique aesthetic will surely help make your presentation unforgettable.

A very simple idea executed to perfection. Splashes of bright paint on a dark background—looking cool and modern without trading off any of the perfect legibility.

Simple desk

This cute PowerPoint background brought to you by Slidefabric will be a great choice for corporate presentations. There’s the desk, very much Marie-Kondo-style, there’s the nice looking chair, you just *feel* yourself getting comfortable and productive only looking at this one. 

Digital classroom

Any teachers in the house? Yeah, remote teaching is a pain, one that this fun PowerPoint background won’t necessarily heal on the spot, but I’m sure your students will appreciate the touch and feel this one can add to your presentations.  

Pastel wallpaper

Okay, this is cheating a bit because the image on the left has actually been designed as a desktop wallpaper. Still, it’s beautiful while not being too distracting—that’s what makes a perfect PowerPoint background.

Blurred backgrounds bundle

Part of a bundle of 50+ similar-yet-different PPT backgrounds, all of those based on blurred splashes of color. A good pick for a funky, out-of-the-box presentation.

Fiery wallpaper

Yes, I did it again. Yet another wallpaper-turned-background, one that will work great for all the same reasons. Designed by HappyPastels, loved by all customers!

Customizable flowers

A pretty watercolor picture of flowers great for brochures, covers, or even business cards (yes, you can create all of those in PowerPoint). The bundle comes with a bunch of customizable text fields filled with different pastel colors.

Pastel rainbow

Another pack of PPT backgrounds on our list, this one created by Jax & Jake, containing 8 backgrounds with semi-transparent fill, 8 ones with white fill, and 8 transparent borders. 

Fresh watercolor

Last but not least, “Fresh watercolor” by KaySquaredPrintables. A PowerPoint background I loved because it just feels so comforting and stylish at the same time. Plus, I think the dynamics of the flowers on the sides of the image are just perfect for creating well-balanced slides. A really neat piece of work. 

And that's a wrap!

Hope you’ve found a PowerPoint background you fell in love with and one that will really captivate your audience. Just make sure to go for a design that fits the theme and vibe of your presentation. Cute little flowers wouldn’t work too well on a slide deck about war in Iraq, would they? But I’m sure you’d figure that out on your own. So why are you still here? Time to start creating!

Hi, I'm John, Editor-in-chief at Storydoc. As a content marketer and digital writer specializing in B2B SaaS, my main goal is to provide you with up-to-date tips for effective business storytelling and equip you with all the right tools to enable your sales efforts.

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